Working in physics: index

My years in ChinaRichard de Grijs, who spent eight years as a senior scientist in China, outlines the advantages and disadvantages of working in this burgeoning scientific powerhouse

Thinking points for career blissGraduates and more experienced job-seekers alike need to be aware, willing and able to ensure they find the most fulfilling career path, says Jack Bailey.

Nuclear futuresTushna Commissariat talks to Jim Gulliford about a new programme to train early-career nuclear physicists, and what a future in the field looks like today.

The Perils of ProposalsWith its complex procedures, unknown evaluations and unconscious biases, applying for research funding is no mean feat. Dalmeet Singh Chawla investigates if it is time to revamp the grant-funding process.

Engineering a career in terahertzA PhD in physics is the perfect basis for a career as an engineer, as Ken Cooper from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory tells Susan Curtis.

In pursuit of the purest quartzFrom a PhD in semiconductor physics to head of Quartz Products at Airbus Defence and Space, Richard Syme looks back at a long and enjoyable career.

Going further afieldXinzheng Ling a condensed-matter physicist from Peking University in China, tells Michael Banks why it’s important for early-career scientists in China to gain research experience outside of the country.

Once a physicist: Dave DonaldsonDave Donaldson is a professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, who conducts research on topics related to international and inter-regional trade in low-income countries. He grew up in Toronto, Canada and obtained an MPhys degree at the University of Oxford, UK, in 2001.

Top talent wanted, start from scratchNew research institutes and departments encounter unique challenges for attracting and recruiting talent from across the globe, reports Alaina G Levine.

The need for speedLorraine Bobb explains how a summer placement at Diamond Light Source helped her make an evidence-based decision about her career path.

How to become an 'edupreneur'Setting up shop as a science communicator after getting your degree in physics is a tempting offer, especially for those who are interested in creating educational outreach materials, as Alaina G Levine finds out.

Mapping the heavensThe Sloan Digital Sky Survey has been working since the start of the millennium to create a "map" of the universe.

Quantum physics, across the worldA summer internship at Singapore's Centre for Quantum Technologies helped Kate Clements refine her postgraduate plans while also getting to know a new culture.

Final destination: spaceFrances Wray describes how she turned childhood dreams about travelling to Mars into a career designing and testing components for space missions.

A conference of our ownSetting up a brand-new student-run conference isn’t easy, but for Adam O’Connell and Reaal Khalil, it was an opportunity to develop skills that a standard physics degree course just doesn’t provide. Here, they reflect on their experiences.

Diverse opportunities in defenceWorking at the UK’s defence laboratory gives Gareth Brown the ability to apply his physics and mathematics knowledge to real-world applications – and not necessarily in the ways you might expect.

From physicists to physiciansAfter completing undergraduate degrees in physics, Henry Drysdale, Ioan Milosevic and Eirion Slade decided their futures lay in medicine. They share their experiences with Physics World

Once a physicist: Karl YoungI actually started adult life as a jazz saxophone player, but this was in San Francisco in the late 1960s, so it was a very open time intellectually and I had very wide interests.

Under sea, over landAcoustic scientist Daniel Finfer describes life at Silixa, a start-up firm that provides fibre-optic sensing technologies to the oil and gas industry

Animal magnetismSteve Roberts explains how a novel business idea – a specialist MRI scanner for horses – led his physics career down an unusual and rewarding path

Lessons in becoming a scientistIris Dillmann describes her journey through a profession that requires people to be both “flexible like a rubber band” and also “hard as steel”

Teaching with technologyWhen David Vernier left his job as a physics teacher to start his own company, he discovered that lessons learned in the classroom would serve him well in the business world

Fostering innovationA cluster of independent consultancies has helped make Cambridge a hot spot in the UK’s hi-tech economy. Andrew Baker-Campbell describes what it’s like to be a part of this growing industry.

Building models, modelling buildingsAs a software developer in a building performance analytics firm, Michael Bennett uses his physics skills to help design more environmentally friendly and cost-effective buildings.

A scientific tax manIt may not win him many admirers at parties, but for Paul Barton, helping companies claim tax credits for their research is a great way of combining his diverse interests in science and policy.

Unemployed and STEMDespite widely reported skills shortages in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, some graduates in these disciplines are finding the job hunt anything but easy. Penny Jackson shares her experiences.

Operations research needs physicistsOperations researcher Stephen Coulson explains how a physicist's skills are valued in a varied and interdisciplinary field that has expanded far beyond its defence origins.

A 'static' businessJohn Chubb built his own small business developing electrostatic measuring instruments. Now retired, he relates his company's story and the lessons he learned from running it.

Finding balance in a new labSetting up a new laboratory is a formidable challenge for early-career researchers. Sarah Bohndiek shares a few lessons she learned in her first year as a group leader.

The view from the VC sideWith a PhD in theoretical physics and more than a decade of experience in the investment world, venture capitalist Alexei Andreev has seen his share of innovation successes and failures

A concrete foundation.The construction industry may not seem like a logical home for a physicist, but Luke Pinkerton believes that a degree in physics has been a big asset in his civil engineering career.

Serving an aging populationGerontechnologist Lawrence Normie describes his work on devices that improve the lives and health of older adults.

A lasting legacy.Michael Conti-Ramsden describes how a physics degree and the Great Exhibition of 1851 helped turbocharge a career based on solving practical problems in chemical engineering

Applied knowledgeJennifer King explains how group industrial projects can help physics students to build real-world skills within a university environment

On the inside trackIndustrial scientist Brent Neal explains what physics graduates and PhD students can do to make themselves stand out to recruiters.

Powders, powders everywhereNishil Malde describes how the ubiquity of powders in industrial processes led him from academic research to an international role at a firm that undertakes powder testing

Mixing physics and engineeringAs an engineer in the naval-nuclear division of Rolls-Royce, Steven Lawler sees himself as an ambassador for physicists working in an engineering environment

The sixth elementStephanie Liggins describes how her PhD research on defects within the structure of diamonds led her to a career in industrial product development

Scientist for hireSpecialised technology companies and academic research are not the only ways of building a career using your skills as a physicist. Technology consultant Jeffrey Philippson shares his enthusiasm for a more varied option

The good mentorship guideSarah Bohndiek describes some of the key traits postdocs should look for in a potential mentor and offers advice on selecting the right mentor for you

Forget about networkingMarc Kuchner argues that if scientists really want to advance their careers, they should concentrate instead on just making friends

A clean solutionMichael Duncan, John Girkin and Tom McLeish describe how an unusual cross-disciplinary collaboration between Procter & Gamble and Durham University is generating benefits for both sides

New beginnings for nuclearJeroen Veenstra describes how his enthusiasm for nuclear energy led him to a new country, a new language and a role in developing the energy future

Starting from scratchMehdi Yazdanpanah describes how he turned his PhD research into a successful small business, despite starting off with just $500 in his bank account

Making the 'wonder material', August 2012Graphene is taking the world of physics by storm, with new applications cropping up almost weekly. Daniel Stolyarov describes how he and his wife, Elena Polyakova, turned the graphene boom into a business

Technology for life, July 2012The fight against cancer offers rewarding career opportunities for medical physicists as well as healthcare professionals, as Giulia Thompson describes

Changing the Hamiltonian, June 2012Trained to understand particles rather than people, physicists who become managers often struggle with human-resources challenges such as motivating and developing employees.

Playing the game, May 2012Catherine Goode describes how a degree in physics and a childhood passion for computer and video games led her to a career in game design.

Making outreach work, April 2012Lisa Jardine-Wright offers some advice on ensuring that physics outreach is more than just a "fun day out" for students, volunteers and academics

Careers, interrupted, February 2012Jan West describes how an organization inspired by the UK's first female physics professor has helped more than 200 people return to working in science after career breaks

Building a bionic eye, December 2011Kate Fox describes how strokes of luck – both good and bad – led her to work on an interdisciplinary "bionic eye" project aimed at helping people with retinal disease

Physics to freelance, September 2011With dozens, if not hundreds, of professionals vying for the same jobs, why not create your own career? Independent space-technology consultant Mark Williamson shares his experience of self-employment

Seeking advice, March 2011With so many different career options out there, Margaret Harris examines what university careers offices can – and cannot – do to help physics graduates find their way in the job market

Fusion scientists of the future, January 2011In interdisciplinary subjects such as fusion energy, training PhD students is a complex task. Llion Marc Evans describes how being part of the Fusion Doctoral Training Network has helped him develop as a researcher

Banking on it, December 2010Even after the global financial crisis, banking remains a popular career choice for physics graduates. Physics World talks to Benjamin Rosenberger and Rob Thomson, both of the equities division of Swiss firm UBS, about the ups and downs of working in finance

Gongs away, November 2010Now that the Nobel Prize for Physics is sorted for another year, Margaret Harris examines the range of other physics prizes on offer, and how receiving awards can help - and sometimes hinder - a recipient's career

Building a better lecture, June 2010Educational research has revealed flaws in the traditional lecture format, but as Keith Taber explains, it has also suggested ways of reshaping lectures that could benefit both students and academics

Supporting laser science, May 2010If the laser in your laboratory is not working, your first port of call (after the instruction manual!) will be someone like Harald Ellmann, whose fascination with practical problem-solving led to a career in technical support

Protecting the future, March 2010Patent attorneys work at the interface of science and law, helping inventors to safeguard their intellectual property. Elliott Davies describes a career that combines technical knowledge and commercial savvy.

Life on the borders, February 2010Edward Barry describes a career at the sharp end of interdisciplinary research, and how a virus from the New York City sewers is helping shape our understanding of nanoscale self-assembly.

Astronomy for all, January 2010Showing members of the public the wonders of the universe is one of the best things about being an astronomer - and retirement can lead to even more outreach opportunities, as Stephen and Irene Little explain.

Why not do both?, December 2009Physicists thinking about academic or industrial research should consider a career that brings together elements from both, urges Stephen Sweeney.

Of time and tide, October 2009For Stephen Taylor, running a marine-software company means plenty of chances to apply familiar physics to unusual real-world problems – and being your own boss is nice too.

A physicist's life-cycle, September 2009Long-term career satisfaction for academics is closely linked to the type of institution where they work, as Joseph C Hermanowicz discovered when he set out to follow physicists through their careers.

Scientists in the newsroom, August 2009Media fellowships can help physicists improve the way that they communicate their results to the outside world, and also offer valuable insights into how the other half live, as Helen Czerski describes.

Tools for learning, July 2009Some instruments in teaching laboratories may look old-fashioned, but those wooden boxes can hold surprisingly advanced equipment. George Herold describes his career designing experiments for undergraduate labs.

Don't panic, June 2009The job market for new graduates and career-changers in 2009 is not great, but there are signs that physicists may be better equipped than most, as Margaret Harris explains

Riding the red dragon, May 2009Western universities have long welcomed visiting students and academics from the Far East. Now China’s ascendance offers career opportunities for researchers like Ian Broadwell who want to make the reverse journey

Riding the storm out, April 2009A career in severe-weather research offers flexibility and plenty of opportunities to experience the fascinating physics of the rotating fluid called the atmosphere. Josh Wurman describes the science of storm-chasing and why hurricanes are scarier than tornadoes

Living life on 'Mars', March 2009The quest for clear, dark skies has led astronomers to build telescopes far away from the lights and smog of modern civilization, but what is it like to live and work in such places? Elena Mason describes her career at one of the world’s most remote observatories

The science of fine art, February 2009Working at the interface of science and art, conservation research extends our knowledge of artworks and helps keep fragile items safe for future generations. Christina Young explains how physics can help to preserve our cultural heritage

A fresh look at nuclear, January 2009A new industry-wide graduate scheme aims to get the next generation of nuclear scientists thinking about community and environmental issues from the outset. Susie Hay and Michael Kelk describe the “nucleargraduates” programme

Space to explore, December 2008A career in space technology offers great scope for creativity and the chance to build something new. It can even make you relatively popular at parties, as Kevin Middleton describes

One year left to go, October 2008As they enter their final year of undergraduate study, six students from around the globe share with Physics World their perspectives on physics, their courses and the future

Have PhD, will travel, October 2008Life as a postdoctoral researcher offers opportunities for making independent contributions to science, but there are pitfalls too, as Margaret Harris explains

Rewards of renewables, September 2008Thanks to concerns about carbon emissions and the rising price of fossil fuels, the green-energy industry is currently experiencing huge growth worldwide. This presents plenty of interesting and lucrative opportunities for physicists, as Gregory McNamee describes

Secure your future, August 2008A background in physics plus a keen interest in politics and current affairs can add up to a rewarding career in international security, as James Acton explains